Back Home

We're back in Austin safe and sound. Unfortunately, our car got broken into: window smashed and cd player stolen. Ugh.

Pre-born Babies, and such

I read this article, linked by Barlow, about a Professor and how one of his lessons saved the life of his future student. In the article it describes the attributes of a three month baby: "tiny fingers, facial features, eyes, outline of a liver and other human features"

Those are the features of our baby right now. I can't wait to be Daddy.

Fun Stuff

Forgive the delay. Kristen and I have been spending the holiday in North Carolina. It has been great. I interviewed with a school in Richmond -- wonderful! and a school in Cary -- probably not. The school in Richmond is really serious about their academics and have a great, humble, intelligent staff to get it done. The school in Cary has a different vision for Classical Languages than I (yes, we had "artistic differences" :oP ), so it doesn't look promising.

Also, Kristen and I have become hooked on a computer game, Rise of Nations. This trip has been our first chance to relax and do nothing, so we take turns playing about three hours a day. Needless to say, my mum-in-law thinks Kristen and I are computer game junkees, but it really is our first and only chance to play.

We have been able to see a lot of friends, which has been great. Matt Harper was married on the 20th, so we saw both Carolina folks and Ruston folks. It was a beautiful wedding, though it confirmed to me that I'm more of a liturgical presbyterian than an Anglican: bowing to the wafer was a little much ... plus the black robes are so much cooler than the white linens. Well, not literally cooler, but you know what I mean. We also saw some of Kristen's friends when we went to see Cold Mountain with the in-laws. Also went to see Amber and Sam and their kids (see Honi's blog). Sam was working, but Amber (and her parents) are delightful. Honi was still in VA, so we didn't get to meet her, but I was able to play around with Jake and hold Daniel. It was so much fun holding Daniel. I can't wait until I can hold my own. Oh, and Sam & Amber gave us our first baby gift: unisex sleepers. Very thankful.

My first Christmas with my wife was very delightful, though she has set a high bar for herself. I got a Library Embosser, NT Wright's What Saint Paul Really Said (jumping to the top of my must-read lists). However, lest anyone should charge me with heresy or not being (really, really, really) Reformed: the complete works of B.B. Warfied and Hodge's three volume Systematic Theology. All the books were quickly embossed. When I get home, I'll emboss all my books (and hers), and I'll probably go over to Greg and JT's and emboss all their books -- or at least the ones I want. :oP

This trip has been a lot of fun. We can't wait to return to Austin, but there is also so much I would like to do here. We're returning to Austin on Tuesday around mid-day (*hint*hint* JT) ... and we're probably bringing some Sweet Tea with us!

Feast Day

Christmas Day

On Being Pregnant

The past two months have been odd, being pregnant. I feel like pregnancy is now an integral part of my identity. It's rare I have a conversation that does not mention it in some way. And people always make comments if I try to stand in the back of a room or lift something. It's been okay, as pregnancies go. I've been pretty sick. I've lost weight. I gained the superpower of extra-sensory smelling. I don't really feel pregnant, I feel sick. Maybe when I get a belly, that will help. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat about three weeks ago. That was nifty.

School Applications 'n' Jobs

Saturday, after Matt's wedding, Kristen and I drove up to Richmond, VA for an interview with Veritas Classical Christian School. It went well. I originally typed up a couple of paragraphs on what I liked about it, but I don't want any of you jumping on my lead, ya hear. I have yet to send in an application, but went ahead and met with them (the headmaster, Scott Taylor; and head of faculty, Jonathan O'Brian).

I'm also applying to Cary Christian School. This position would be nice as we would be back in Carolina: near Kristen's family, friends, a solid church, etc... I'll also apply to St. David's in Raleigh, St. Andrew's and St. Stephen's in Austin, also Regents in Austin. However, I've been really impressed with Veritas in Richmond. Tomorrow, I'll chat with Mr. Stephenson at Cary and give any updates.

Update

We're in North Carolina for the holiday. We've been busy hanging out with friends, attending Matt Harper's wedding and church, and telling everyone in person that we're expecting our first child the first week of July. It's great good fun!

Sabbath Reflection

Fourth Sunday in Advent

Book lists

To answer Natalie's question, I actually have three lists: Mythology, Contemporary Political Theory, and Classical Literature / Philosophy.

Mythology: Finish Silmarillion, Finish Chronicles of Narnia, Barfield's Poetic Diction, Tolkien's short works on Mythology and Fairie Stories.

Contemporary Political Theory: Finish The Shield of Achilles by Philip Bobbit. Warrior Politics by Robert Kaplan. Other books on the demise of the nation-State.

Classical Literature / Philosophy: Starting with the Ancient Greeks: Lombardo's translation of Iliad and Odyssey. Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. Plays of Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripedes. Some work on the Pre-Socratics. Plato, Aristotle. Herodotus, Thucydides ... etc..

More to come. This is a good start.

Tired

Being a teacher is exhausting, mentally and physically. Rewarding, yes, but utterly exhausting. I feel consumed by my desire to see my class succeed, both academically and socially/behaviorally.

It is Done

I am finished. I finished my last exam on Thursday. I finished my last paper about 10 minutes ago. Phew. I'm done. I've finished my undergraduate. I received a BA in Classics, I'll walk (aka, parental photo-op) in May. Now, bring on the good books.

Sabbath Reflection II

Third Sunday in Advent

Sabbath Reflection I

Savior of the nations, come; Virgin's Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood; by the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh, woman's offspring, pure and fresh.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child of the virgin undefiled!
Though by all the world disowned, still to be in heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came and returneth to the same,
Captive leading death and hell, high the song of triumph swell!

Thou, the Father's only Son, hast over sin the victory won.
Boundless shall Thy kingdom be; when shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine, glorious is its light divine.
Let not sin o'ercloud this light; ever be our faith thus bright.

Praise to God the Father sing, Praise to God the Son, our King,
Praise to God the Spirit be ever and eternally.
--Ambrose of Milan

The Best of Austin

I finished my Greek final exam today. In a sick way, it was really great. I really had to place close attention to St. Paul's words. I really enjoyed the experience of having a "sight" passage and pouring over every word.

Anyhow, after the exam I went to The Goodall Wooten Barber Shop, as I had to get a haircut before I went to the Christmas party at the Russel's ... or so my wife tells me. Okay, so it has been about three months, so I deem it worthy to go, and the Wooten is perhaps the greatest barber shop on earth. I sat in the barber's chair, watched We Were Soldiers on DVD, talked with the Barber. He cut my hair short, put some hot shaving cream on my neck and sideburns, took out his straight razor. Then they have a vibrating massager, it's great. Perhaps one of the best things about living in Austin. That and:

Central Market, Run Tex, BlueBell, Tex Mex, and of course Rudy's BBQ ;o)

Sociology of Religion

Back when I posted the Miami Herald article about the upsurge in college students studying religion, someone asked me about the sociology of religion. I took an upper-level/graduate seminar on it with Christian Smith, and that's about the extent of my knowledge. He's pretty renouned and oft-quoted in the media (Like the U.S. News article I linked on Evangelicalism and the Boston Globe article on campus ministries people have been talking about), so perhaps one class with him is enough to get a good grasp on it.

We all know that religion exists in a social context. People worship in groups. They use common symbols and unique language. They organize themselves. There are lots of different aspects to studying religion: historical, theological, antropological, psychological, etc. Sociology of Religion looks at religion different, and concerns itself with different (though sometimes overlapping) questions. Why are humans religious in nature? How do new religions form? Why do people convert? Why do people attend services? What does religion inspire people to do? The questions of sociology of religion, and the way that current scholars answer them, is quite fascinating.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

I've taken a turn towards feeling better! Hurrah! This is perfect timing, as we were planning on attending a cocktail party tomorrow evening. I have THE PERFECT DRESS and I didn't want to have to miss out on wearing it.

For Those of You as Bored as I Am

Make a snowflake, just like elementary school, except virtual. Here's one I did.

Not about Politics, Basketball, or LOTR

So, here's the deal. I'm sick. I've got a bad cold and I lay around. Not much exciting to blog about. I got sent home from school today for being sick. That was sort of exciting. It felt like I was a student instead of a teacher. My students are learning a sung paraphrase of the geneology of Christ to recite in chapel on Friday and I can't get it out of my head. I am behind on cleaning, Christmas Cards, and grading. I made homemade Chicken Noodle soup yesterday with just extra stuff in the house. It tasted good. I am going to blow my nose now.

RotK in Austin!?

How did I miss hearing about this? It seems that Jackson & Co. (i.e., the writers) were in Austin and premiered Return of the King at the Harry Knowles' fifth annual Butt-Numb-a-Thon. Shesh.

The New and Improved Hillary Clinton

It appears that Hillary is becoming a hawk. Some good quotes from Safire:

She does not go along with the notion that the Iraqi dictator posed no danger to the U.S.: "I think that Saddam Hussein was certainly a potential threat" who "was seeking weapons of mass destruction, whether or not he actually had them."

When Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" gave her the opening to say she had been misled when she voted for the Senate resolution authorizing war, Senator Clinton countered with a hard line: "There was certainly adequate intelligence without it being gilded and exaggerated by the administration to raise questions about chemical and biological programs and a continuing effort to obtain nuclear power."

On forgotten Afghanistan, like many hawks, she was critical of the failure of European nations "to fulfill the commitment that NATO made to Afghanistan. I don't think we have enough American troops and we certainly don't have the promised NATO troops."

Would she support an increase of U.S. troops in Iraq? Senator Clinton associated herself with the views of Republican Senator John McCain, who disagrees with Bush and the generals who say they have adequate strength there. She cited McCain's conviction that "we need more troops, and we need a different mix of troops." And she directed a puissant message to what some of us consider the told-you-so doves who refuse to deal with today's geopolitical reality: "Whether you agreed or not that we should be in Iraq, failure is not an option."

According to Andrew Sullivan, she's looking good to plot a move on the White House for 2008 ... watch out Elle Woods.

Now I Must Confess ...

... that even in saying what I just wrote, I am a hypocrite. I say this because if I were a lawmaker, I don't know what I'd say regarding the issue of Marriage in this country. Would I deny marriage to homosexuals, when we grant marriages to those who are remarrying after being illegimately (in the eyes of God) divorced? Should we only limit marriages to blameless heterosexuals and those whose divorces are excused by God. Who decides that last catagory? I suppose, if anyone can and someone should, it must be the place of the Church to do so. Such hard decisions. Even still, I'm a hypocrite.

I sometimes wish that there was an island that was a nation. A nation that was run based on Christian principles. It had a national island Church, governed by people who submitted to God's ways -- not that I necessarily buy into the "follow God's law ... give me two donkeys and a goat for your Taurus", but the moral, ethical principles: those seem less controversial. Oh well, Lord Come Quickly ... it is Advent.

I Never Expected This From the Catholic Church

According to a Catholic news source judges and lawmakers are blasted a Catholic bishop who blasted lawmakers for making non-Catholic decisions. It seems to revolve around the lawmakers -- not named -- voting records on issues such as stem cell research, abortion, and family planning. Apparently, they are voting at odds with the Catholic church. The Catholic Church doesn't like it when its members are in disobedience, hence the letters.

It seems that Bishop Raymond Burke is allowed to be a religious fellow, even a thinking one to boot, but when he starts reminding Catholics that they are supposed to be Catholics Mon-Sat -- not just on Sunday -- he has crossed the Church/State line.

This is all very telling. It reminds me of an article -- I think written by Rich Lusk at Meshereth, about the privatization of religion. Suddenly Catholic lawmakers feel that they can be Catholics Sunday morning, but not during the rest of the week. Granted, here me out, this nation isn't a Catholic nation, but the Catholic -- as the Christian -- puts himself in a tight position no matter what vocation he chooses in life. If I am a business man, and my company calls me to make a decision that flies in the face of what I profess to believe, I have a tough call to make. Do I do what my company asks of me? or my professed beliefs and alligences to the Church? The same goes to the Catholic lawmaker, such as Sen. Julie Lassa who, "would not let religion dictate how she served her constituents." That's fine, just stop calling yourself a Catholic. You can't be a Catholic on Sunday, but not Mon-Sat. When God and "Politics" (one of our American pantheon) collide, one must win. For the Christian, God must win and you must take the punishment -- even if that means you lose the next election.

Sabbath Reflection II

Second Sunday in Advent

Sabbath Reflection I

Comfort, comfort ye My people, speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness, mourning 'neath their sorrow's load;
Speak ye to Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover, and her warfare now is over.

For the herald's voice is crying in the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance, since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet Him, and the hills bow down to greet Him.

Yea, her sins our God will pardon, blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger He will no more see nor heed.
She has suffered many a day, now her griefs have passed away,
God will change her pining sadness into ever springing gladness.

Make ye straight what long was crooked, make the rougher places plain:
Let your hearts be true and humble, as befits His holy reign,
For the glory of the Lord now o'er the earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token that His Word is never broken.

We sang this, one of my favorite Advent Hymns, and Dr. Sinclair Fergueson preached on Psalm 27, which I memorized with my students this fall. It was a lovely Lord's Day service!

Return of the King ... again

An new review (BEWARE: SPOILERS) confirms that Jackson stayed true to the ending of Tolkien's book. The reviewer even said that some may claim that it was too long.

In my count, that's good. I was worried that Jackson would try and alter the ending. Perhaps make Frodo die with the Ring at Mt. Doom or something like that. However, it seems that he's going to go the full length with the movie. I'm excited. The DVD will probably be even better!

Graduation ... then What?

I think I officially "graduted" last night. I still have finals to take, and I'm planning on walking in the Spring, so I didn't think much of it. So, instead of attending the graduation, I watched Pirates of the Carribean with Kristen.

Anyhow, I'm starting the job search now, and figured that I would post something on the ACCS classifieds section. I sent off an email and, expecting that they post it, it'll look something like this:

Michael Stewart seeks a full-time Classics position that could include courses in Greek and Latin as well as Classical History and Literature. He holds a B.A. in Classics from The University of Texas at Austin, and has some experience teaching Latin and Greek. He understands and embraces Classical Christian education. mlstewart@austin.rr.com

Let us hope and pray.

Magazines

I really like reading magazines. There are a whole bunch of magazines I'd like subscriptions to. I should have thought of this last month so I could have told my parents when they were asking what I wanted for Christmas. In order by category, here are the magazines I wish I subcribed to.

News and Culture
+ World Magazine
+ Paste
+ Christianity Today

Home
+ Real Simple
+ Cooking Light
+ Budget Living
+ Southern Living
+ Martha Stewart Living

Does Islam Need a Luther or a Pope?

An interesting essay entitled, Does Islam Need a Luther or a Pope? over at Tech Central Station. When finals are over, I'll read it again when finals are over and see what I think. Until then, I'll leave you with a quote:

In short: if the problem with Islam is that it seems constantly to give rise to sects violently hostile to secular institutions, to reason, and to cultured sentiment; that the countries in which it predominates have a chronic tendency toward theocratic despotism; and that as a religion it exhibits no institutional structure that might finally impose some discipline on the chaotic and lawless spiritual impulses that it generates -- if all that is the problem (which it surely is), then it is absurd to hold that the solution is for Islam to find its Martin Luther. It has already had its Luther, not to mention its Calvin and its Henry VIII, all rolled into one: his name was Muhammad. What Islam needs is a Pope.

ESV + Apocrypha

If you are like me and waiting patiently for the ESV + Apocrypha to come out before you buy one of those handing leather/compact/pocket-sized versions, I'm afraid we'll be waiting a rather long while. Crossway Books, the American publisher of the ESV, claims on the FAQ of it's website:

Crossway Bibles won't be publishing an edition with the Apocrypha, but HarperCollins UK may. You may want to check with them for more information. As we learn more, we will post it here.

Well, I've been looking at HarperCollins UK and they sent me to Amazon.co.uk ... and it looks hopeless. Maybe in a few years. Shesh.

Can God Create A Misleading Universe?

Josh is apparently having a wild discussion on his blog about Genesis account and how one should take it. The comments were at 59 when I saw the post which means: far too many to start reading them all. However, I read a few. One poor chap asked why couldn't we take the account literally and another chap answered:

If we believe that Genesis 1 is literally true, then we must also believe that God created a misleading universe--a universe that looks to all inspection like it's billions of years old ... when that isn't actually true.

Some also get into the question of evolution, but I don't see that as necessary. I am curious about this question of God creating a misleading universe. Why this interests me is because I was recently reading Lewis' The Magican's Nephew, and when Aslan creates Narnia, animals and trees and all of creation is created fully grown. Is this not possible? Is God misleading us? I don't think he is. I think we might be misusing the text. Alas, I'll let smarter people figure that out.

Cover Story: Evangelicalism

The latest U.S. News and World Report has a lengthy article on evangelicalism and it's roots with Jonathan Edwards entitled The New Old-Time Religion: Evangelicals defy easy labels.

I am thoroughly convinced every once and a while that I can't possibly be an evangelical at all.

Bloggin' fo a Dolla'

Okay, Kristen and I are convinced that Wayne is holding his blog hostage. Perhaps giving him money will convince him to blog again. You can send checks to "Wayne O. 'the Wise'" to our place (we won't cash them) and I'll give them to Wayne at school.

If you need our address, just email me ... or something.

See Link for Return of the King Spoilers

I read a review of ROTK recently that has my hopes up. This reviewer, who saw the Academy Awards preview on Thanksgiving, confirms that there is a return to the Shire and the scene of the Grey Havens. That isn't so much a spoiler as a confirmation that Jackson didn't delete something. For more about the movie, see the link.

NCAA Men's B-Ball

I've recently started following Men's Basketball because my wife loves it. She is a Carolina girl and loves her Tar Heels. Since our two teams are relatively comparable (i.e., will be in the top 25), it is fun to watch their schedules unfold ... unlike football.

So, I've started tracking their wins, losses, rankings, etc... I also update the rankings of the opponents they will play. Once they play, their rankings will stay the same as it was on game day, but for future games I'll update the rankings. One thing I noticed was that if Men's B-Ball used Strength of Schedule to do their end of year tournament rankings ... UNC would have a high ranking as they have a number of competative folks to go against.

I suppose UT does as well ... as the Big XII is a good conference, but I count ten top-25 teams that UNC will play, as opposed to the 7 for UT. Then again, OSU is on the boarder, as is Texas Tech, which would give another four. This looks to be an interesting season for UT and UNC. Both have good teams ... and hard schedules.

More Two Towers DVD

Okay, so I stayed home sick today. Well, "stayed" isn't the right word. I went to UT Health (see, guys, what a wife will do to you!?) and they told me to stay home for a day or two. Having a massive headache, I've been mixing sleep with watching various components of the commentaries on the Two Towers DVD.

There is one section where they address the issues of going back-and-forth between the Book and the Movie, and the difficulties that "Tolkien purists" would have. They do a good job of coming across as taking these concerns seriously, and even having these same concerns themselves. After watching it, I really have a greater tolerance for the changes that they made.

One change they made was to Faramir. They came straight out and said that they needed to change him. The actor who played him had never read the book. However, when he got through the script and into the movie, he decided to finally read the books. He then discovered that what he was reading and what he was doing on film didn't match up, and he brought it to the attention of the writers. They apparently decided that Faramir's character needed to go on a journey in the Movie, and that is how they have him set up. In the books, he is the same Day One as he is in the end. They simply couldn't have this in the movie. They had a plot line showing the effects of the Ring on the various characters (e.g., Frodo, Bilbo, Gollum, etc..) they couldn't have randomly had this character for whom the Ring had no effect -- remember that Tom Bomb. isn't in the film at all!

One change they were going to make is having Arwen fighting with Aragorn at Helm's Deep. They discussed their motives when originally writing it. Namely, telling the story how Tolkien told it wouldn't have sold well with the studio execs. The DVD actually has scenes of Arwen fighting (in rough cut) at Helm's Deep. One beautiful, true-truth line by Liv Tyler, who was releaved to have this storyline changed: "What we came to realize is that you don't have to put a sword in her hand to make her strong."

I wish more women thought this way -- or perhaps, that Men allowed women to think and act this way.

Return of the King

I've been watching some of the extras on the Two Towers DVD, namely the detailed explaination of the editing process. In this segment, they showed the rough scene of the "return to Isengard" where Gandalf & Co. see the wreckage. It was, according to the interviews on the DVD, supposed to be at the end of the TT, but viewers found a seven minute dialogue after a huge battle anticlamactic, so it will be the opening scene to RotK.

Sabbath Reflection

First Sunday in Advent

Studying Religion

More college students are taking classes in religious studies. This comes as no surprise to me, a religious studies major. Religion electives are highly popular at UNC by people of all faiths, and people of no faith at all. I cherish my 13 classes+ of Religious Studies. It's a wonderful, interdisciplenary field mixing history, sociology, literature, psychology, and more. I think that most evangelical Christians I knew in college who took religious studies classes treated them as a mission field. I always considered the source (it's a secular university, not a church) and dove right in, eager to understand scholars perspectives on various issues. I took so many Judaism classes without asking questions like "Why don't Jews believe in Jesus?" that there was a professor and several students who thought I was a secular Jew for a few years. Once people got to know me, I never hid my beliefs. I just didn't see the classroom as a good place to evangelize. I found that I earned the respect and friendship of students from a variety of backgrounds, instead of just hanging out in the holy huddle of evangelical RS majors. I think every Christian in a secular university ought to take a Religious Studies class or two. It's good for you.

Okay, I admit, one reason I linked the article is because it quotes one of my professors, Chris Smith, who is a kick-butt sociologist of religion.

On Technology

The nice guys at Time Warner ... they really know what they are talking about. I have called them about three times, everytime my wait was less than 1 minute.

Now, on the other hand, when I called the people at Netgear, I waited about 10 minutes to talk to someone. Then the person with whom I was talking couldn't understand me enough to take down my email address (why Netgear wanted my name, phone number, email, etc... I don't know), and had poor standard American English diction. It was impossible. She had me restarting (read: unplugging and plugging in) both my cable modem and wireless router OVER and OVER and OVER again. Finally, about 50 minutes later, she had me reset my router. This finally worked. The cable modem was working fine without the router, but when I plugged the router back in, it couldn't detect the internet nor my IP address. Resetting the router seemed to make it work.

However, that only worked for about 30 minutes. At that point, I cleared all my wireless settings on my laptop, re-did them, and now it works.

Shesh ... this is beginning to drive me crazy. That and after resetting my router, I have four new authentication codes to write down. Grr...

A Comment That Turned Into A Post

NOTE: To all those who are either in direct ecclesiastical leadership over me, or to those who feel spiritual enough to presume that they are, I am writing this late at night and just throwing out some random thoughts. Please take with a grain of salt. If that doesn't work, try a twist of lime and a shot of taquilla.

I was about to write this as a comment on Brian's blog, but I figured it was way too long. You should perhaps read his post on Newman first.

It seems that we are stumbling down the same path.

Have you considered what constitutes "The Church"? Rome claims it is behind a city and office, Constantinople claims the history and unity of Bishops, Cantebury claims ... well, Cantebury, and Protestants claim Doctrine.

Frankly, I see the points in all. I also see Newman's point. I do hold to a, sort of, prima scriptura where I take the reading of the Scriptures and the majority tradition of Church History.

However, this question of what defines "The Church" is a sticky one. Perhaps it is simply a philosophical question from the viewpoint of a linguist. What makes a true "American". One residing within these borders recognized by the US gov't, or someone who truly holds to the ideals and foundations of this nation. I think there are some in the former group who are not in the latter, vise versa, and some who are in both ... i.e., three camps.

I really haven't reconciled this. I don't think that I could walk from the fellowship of Redeemer (that is, the church or any of her plants should we move closer to one: I do hold to a parish view) in we were to stay in Austin, but when I come to the thought of moving, I'm frightened.

Do I seek to find a church which is "biblical" (what does that mean?) Where I and my family can hear the gospel preached and commune with God? Where I can serve and be served?

Technological Revolution

In two hours, we went from a desktop and dial-up internet service, to a desktop-laptop combo with a cable modem and a wireless router. Whoa!

A Couple of Thoughts

1. Central Market is great. I really pity folks who live outside of Texas. Right now, living here is great. A cold front just rolled through, which means its about 40-50 degrees. Cold enough to put on a pair of jeans, shirts, and a sweater, grab a cup of coffee, and your set. Also, we have RunTex, BlueBell, TexMex and more. If you're a pastoral-like fellow, looking for a call, drop me a line and I'll forward you onto the Pastoral Search Committee of Redeemer Presbyterian Church: the best PCA church that'll welcome you as a member. Oh wait, where was I?

Oh yeah, Central Market is great. Today, Kristen picked up some San Francisco Blend coffee. Make a cup in the french press, add a little milk, sugar, and caramel, and you're good to go!

2. Drinking said coffee too late at night, will keep you up all night ... and spawn weird, drawn out, and random posts.

The Benefits of Being a Teacher

I slept in late today to begin my Thanksgiving holiday week, and then got up and read the whole newspaper (minus the classifieds.) And what do you know? There, hidden in the back, George Grant was mentioned in Dear Abby. Cool, huh?

Will The Real Bush Please Stand Up?

Via Andrew Sullivan:

US President George Bush is "totally at odds" with his media image, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell said today.
Mr Campbell, an opponent of the war with Iraq, spoke out on the ePolitix website about his discussions with the President during the state visit.
He said that they discussed directly issues such as Iraq, the Middle East, Guantanamo Bay, Kyoto and trade sanctions.
"He is personally extremely engaging. He has a well-developed sense of humour, is self-deprecating and when he engages in a discussion with you he is warm and concentrates directly on you.
"He looks you straight in the eye and tells you exactly what he thinks."
Mr Campbell, stressing that the President was "totally at odds" with his media image, went on: "I was not persuaded by what he said, but I was most certainly surprised at the extent to which the caricature of him was inaccurate.'

Maybe, just perhaps, some Americans could rethink their opinion of our president? Maybe a particular Lutheran wife who feels called to the ministry of reconciliation? Just a thought.

Could America's Monolingualism Be Our Problem

You know the joke:

What do you call someone who knows three languages: trilingual
What do you call someone who knows two languages: bilingual
What do you call someone who knows one language: an American

Well, it the midst of reading an article about this Pro-9/11 toy being sold on the streets of Gaza and Ramallah, I noticed an interesting comment: [T]he attacks ... were seen as a victory for Palestinians. Oddly enough, Palestinian spokesmen deny this (in English). But Palestinian media (in Arabic) says otherwise. Perhaps if we took the time to learn foreign languages, particularly those used by our enemies, we'd be better off. However, this usually isn't a popular tactic. Go to any academic German department, read the history of their department. It will always talk about the department closing down during WWII because we didn't want German taught in American schools. What a stupid response.

Sabbath Reflection

THE SUNDAY OF FULFILLMENT
"Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God appears on earth to reign.

Every eye shall now behold Him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.

The dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Everlasting God, come down!"

I'm a "Southern Girl," as Rick would say

I admit it. I have a true affection for my alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There's so many things to love about UNC, it's the oldest public university in the nation and it has a rich and proud heritage. But the single greatest manifestation of my devotion to my alma mater is my obsession with Carolina basketball. Tonight is our season opener, the beginning of what we hope shall be a long and prosperous tenure of Roy Williams, alumnus of the university and the great hope of our team to come. I have been sitting listening to the familiar voices of Woody Durham and Mick Mixon on streaming audio and now the team is leaving the tunnel. Let's go, Carolina!

Font Boredom

My computer had a big problem, and when it got reformatted and fixed, it came back with only the very basic fonts, you know, the ones that make Garamond seem exciting. In college, I wrote all my papers in High Tower Text. Professors like High Tower Text, and it's easy to recognize when you are leafing through a stack of 20 papers to find yours. I miss High Tower Text. Does anyone know of legit ways to get good "normal" fonts, free or cheap?

Marriage: "Civil Rights of Man" ?

Andrew Sullivan has, of course, been covering the Massachusetts ruling on gay marriage. Now you can ask my wife, I don't fall in perfectly with mainline conservatives on this issue. I don't exactly see what jurisdiction the government has in saying anything about marriage. Not that marriage is a sacrament, but it is an aspect of the Church, no? Wouldn't that be like the California Supreme Court ruling that Baptists have to let babies be baptized? On what authority? Who gave the power of giving in marriage to the State? What is this line of BS about marriage being one of the "basic civil rights of man" -- kata Sullivan? What's next? Communion being a basic civil right of man?

Sosa's MVP goes to Pujols, not Bonds

ESPN.com:

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- If Sammy Sosa had a vote for the NL MVP, he would've picked Albert Pujols over Barry Bonds.

"Bonds had good numbers and has a name in the game, but Pujols deserved the award more than anybody," the Chicago Cubs star told The Associated Press on Wednesday night after returning home to the Dominican Republic.

Bonds got 28 of 32 first-place votes and 426 total points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in results announced Tuesday.

Bonds hit .341 with 45 home runs and 90 RBI. The San Francisco outfielder became the only player to win three consecutive MVP awards, winning his sixth overall.

Pujols finished second, receiving three first-place votes and 303 total points.

The St. Louis slugger's .359 average led the majors and he had 43 home runs and 124 RBI. Sosa said his countryman's accomplishments overshadowed those of Bonds and others.

"No player in the National League stood out more than Pujols in 2003," Sosa said.

This homecoming is special for Sosa because baseball commissioner Bud Selig and other Cubs players will hold a celebration Saturday to honor Sosa for becoming the first Hispanic player to reach 500 homers.

Sosa, who turned 35 on Nov. 12, hit 40 homers this year. His total of 539 puts him 10th on the career list.

What a load of crock. Okay, Cork-ey. Sure Pujols had a better BA than Bonds, but his homers were fewer. As for the RBI's, well, let's see Pujols RBIs number when pitchers stop pitching to him. Bonds is the most feared player in the game. Bonds also carried an entire team, which was supposed to be in a "reloading" year after their WS lost. The Cardinals were supposed to be "kickin' butt and takin' names." In the end, it looks like the Cards were kickin' their own and looking for names of new players.

Like him or hate him, when the game is on the line, you either want him on your team ... or you walk him. Now that is valuable.

Linux

Kristen and I were considering getting a laptop in the near future (read: between now and when we get one). One thing we do want is to have a DVD drive, so we can watch DVDs. We don't have a TV, don't really want a TV, but do want to be able to watch DVDs, so a DVD drive seems best. However, those who owe the DVD encoding, don't wish to share this knowledge with those who would like to make DVD software for Linux -- this hasn't stopped all Linux users, but I'd want to be ethical.

However, other than the DVD, does anyone have any praise or condemnation of Linux?

Man Pleads Guilty To Watch OSU-UMICH

From ESPN.com:

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus judge says he'll let an inmate stay in jail instead of moving him to prison right away so he can see the Ohio State-Michigan game on TV this Saturday.


Jeff Renne told Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard Sheward yesterday that he would plead guilty as long as he could stay in the county jail through the weekend. Inmates at the jail can watch TV, but it's off-limits at the Orient reception center, where they are held before they're moved to one of the state's prisons.


Renne was charged with forgery. He says if the Buckeyes win on Saturday, he'll still be "on cloud nine" despite being in prison.


Judge Sheward says he granted Renne's request because it's Michigan week and he thought he should do his part for the Buckeyes.

Hell Freezes over at Wheaton College

The smartest baptist evangelicals are now permitted to dance. Might Bob Jones University be next?

Class Notes

My class entertains me greatly. We've been studying Greek and Latin roots in Vocabulary, and I decided to teach them the Greek alphabet. In just two days, they have become really into Greek. They know the alphabet. They want to transliterate everything into Greek. It's very amusing.

Church Greeters

For a good while I've felt weird about having church greeters. It's nice having the Ushers to tell you when you can sit and to had you the liturgy, but greeters are there just to smile, shake your hand, and say, "hello". I could never figure out why it felt odd. I continued to re-greet the greeters, and Kristen and I even serve as greeters when the church calls us to, so I overlook the oddness.

But, I think I figured out why it feels odd. A church is supposed to be a family, going to church should be like going home, it should be homey. Back in the day, there were butlers and maids to greet you, take your coat, offer you a drink, etc.. Nowadays, we don't have that. You go to a good friend's house and sometimes you don't even have to knock. You can simply walk it, pour yourself a glass of wine, and join the group. That's how it was for Kristen in North Carolina, that is how it is in our Home Fellowship Group. Bill has often looked at me and said, "Now Mike, I'm not going to ask you anymore." After a few seconds of thinking, I realized he was talking about the wine. I was now a part of the group. I wasn't a guest, I could take wine at my leisure and not wait to be served.

We don't have greeters in our homes anymore. You find greeters in Wal-Mart ... that's why it felt weird to me in church.

B.T.A. and George Grant

Since I did decently on the analytical portion of the GRE, Kristen and I have been considering whether I should take the LSAT and go to law school. That, coupled with the possibility of looking at Lynchburg, VA as a future place to live, has been a source of much teasing as I joke with Kristen about going to Liberty Law School.

Well, I remembered Dr. Grant blogging that his good friend was the dean at the school, so I decided to check it out. Upon looking at the "Welcome from the Dean", the source of their friendship became clear. They must be members of the B.T.A. -- Bow Tie Association. Actually the picture of Dean Green is pretty good, which makes two guys who can pull off the bow tie.

Friends

I miss Rachel and Rick a great deal all the time, and wish we could just jet off and see them. Since they've been engaged, it's been even worse. At least we have telephones!

CBN?

A favorite professor of mine extends his academic endeavors past the walls of academia ... and the chat rooms on espn.com. He writes a quasi-regular article (that is, you know an article is coming, but not the day -- hmm, sounds the Second Coming. Okay, okay, okay, sorry ...) in the Austin American-Statesman. In his most recent column, which he told me cut a portion that he found important to his argument, he took on the issue of God(s) and War. In his discussion of General Boykin he refers to CBN.

Will someone, who does have a T.V., please enlighten me about CBN. They aren't necessarily heretics like those at TBN, right? Are they wacky, extremely Zionist, dispensational, Christian fundamentalists?

GRE

Some time ago ... or about two weeks, I took the GRE and have had negative feelings about it every since. I actually had good reason to be doubtful about it. First, I really didn't prepare that well, which is my fault, and I really didn't care that much. Of my top schools, only three (Indiana, Colorado, and UChicago Div.) require the GRE, yet my others (Div: Yale, Harvard, Duke, Emory) don't. Also, the handy-dandy computerized GRE gives you the results of two of three tests: the Verbal and Quantitative (i.e., Math). Those had low results. Looking at my percentiles, I actually did better on the Verbal than Math ... by percentile. By raw score, my Math was about 90 points better. However, the score was rather low, I felt a little bad, but tried not to dwell on it.

The third test, the analytical writing, I had no idea about. I felt pretty good about it, but then again two summers ago I felt good about my Const.Law papers, and my TA's felt differently. The Analytical sections used to be something similar to the games section on the LSAT. I suppose they want to measure you're ability to analyze -- hence the name. Now, they have turned it into two essays, of which the prompts I cannot tell as I signed a statement saying so. However, one takes the form of a one-line statement:

Example: Augustine was a fricken genius and the Catholics and Orthodox need to take him more seriously.

At which point, you would need to write an essay taking some sort of position, supporting it, answering potential counter-arguments, etc...

In the second essay, you are presented with an argument of about two or three paragraphs. It usually has something to do with graduate school, being a graduate school exam. Here you are to critic the argument, take note of strong and weak points, evaluate the logic.

Both of these essays are out of 6 points. If you download the PowerPrep software the ETS gives you, they have a section with examples of each type of paper, from 0 (poor) to 6 (highest). Then, the two scores are averaged. Since this requires real graders, you have to wait a few weeks to receive the scores. My arrived today. I received a perfect 6.0, scoring the 95th percentile. This made me feel A LOT better. Like I actually got something out of the GRE, besides a humbling courtesy of the Verbal and Math sections.

Regarding Two Peter Leithart Posts

First, this post:

Obedience, Scripture says, is better than sacrifice. By analogy, moral purity is better than ritual purity. This analogy plays a big role in the gospels.

Then, I wonder, should those disgruntled with the ECUSA look past the ritual unpurity -- in their eyes -- of the Catholic Church in favor of Rome's moral purity -- or at least their willingless to call sin "sin" and do something about it?

Second, this post:

Jim Jordan suggests that Daniel 2-7, written in Aramaic, is a fulfillment of the promise/threat of tongues (from Isaiah), and that this passage authorizes translation of Scripture into various languages. Which leads to several thoughts:

1) As Jordan points out, translation was not done until the intertestamental period, and is still not done by Muslims. Refusal to translate seems to be particularly connected with old world/old covenant systems (like Islam). The written word is kept close, hidden away, but with the coming of the new covenant the written word is spread abroad in many languages. This fits with the characterization of the post-exilic period as an "ecumenical age," the age of the oikoumene.

2) The postmodern suspicion or critique of translation seems to be a reversion to a pre-Pentecostal mentality. For instance: The linguistic tribalism celebrated by Stanley Fish and other postmodern theorists. As I noted in an earlier post, Babel has become a dominant postmodern metaphor; which is to say, the reversal of Pentecost is a key postmodern theme. Social and linguistic fragmentation is inevitable when the Spirit withdraws, for the Spirit is the one who marries one to another.

For the first time, I think I'm in disagreement with Dr. Leithart, or maybe only Jordan. While I think that translations are permissable and perhaps helpful, I think that working from the original language is best and I do have grave suspicions about translations. When you work with a translation, you are interacting with a translator, not the text or original writer. The more I read of Paul's letters the more I think that most translations miss a tremendous amount. Even the "scholarly" NRSV is crap. In reading the Greek or Latin (for other church writers, e.g., Augustine), you can see the words which become weighty theological terms. Also, what authority does a translation have? In regards to Jordan's point of Daniel 2-7 being written in Aramaic, what's the point? And the NT was written in Greek ... ooh. Maybe this means we won't live Hebraic, covenantal lifestyles, but I don't see how a portions of scripture being written in different languages is a mandate for translations?

Blogging and Martin Luther

The following conversation took place at a book study we attended this morning. Names have been changed to protect those involved, except for us!

[speaking about the authority of elders]

Kristen: What if you posted something on your blog, something simple and true like "baptism means something." An elder reads it and tells you to take it down, what do you do?
John: You take it down.
Kristen: Even though it's true?
John: It's not that big of a deal, it's just your blog.
Ted: So, if you were Martin Luther, John, you would have recanted?
John: No, well... blogging is different than the 95 theses.
Ted: The door in Wittenberg and blogs? I don't see the difference.
Mike: Luther's blog was the door of Wittenberg?!

Senioritis

Yeah, it sucks. So there. I would write more ... but, well, I won't.

Poll

Does it matter how big the elements you take are during communion? I always take a rather small piece of the bread, while Mike prefers a larger one. What's your preference?

[Editorial Note: when she writes small, she should really say microscopic. ~Mike]

Sabbath Reflection

The strife is o'er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The powers of death have done their worst;
But Christ their legions hath dispersed;
Let shouts of holy joy outburst:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The three sad days are quickly sped;
He rises glorious from the dead;
All glory to our risen Head!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from heaven's high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death's dread sting Thy servants free,
That we may live, and sing to Thee:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Our Apologies

We're turning into pretty awful bloggers. At least we have interesting and busy lives. Unfortunately, between all the daily grind and having dial-up, we're just not very prolific here these days.

We saw the Matrix Revolutions, Friday. It earned the bad reviews, though I still think people ought to go see it in the theatre... for closure. I think that the main "spiritual" thing I got out of it was that all the evangelicals who felt like the first Matrix was Christian are going to cry. And that all the W. bros did was steal the imagery of lots of different religions, strip them of their meaning, and try to make them Buddhist.

Potential for Greatness

So much potential for great good things is around me right now. I want to sing and shout and pray and cross my fingers that everything works out!

Denis Haack on The Passion

In Denis Haack's editorial column in the most recent Critique:

Last month I was scheduled to lecture at The Art House in Nashville, the home and studio of Charlie and Andi Peacock. My flight arrived earlier than necessary so I could spend some time with them, but that was not to be. The young woman who met me at the airport flew down the highway, because she had to get me to The Art House in 30 minutes since that was when Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion, would be shown. He would be there to answer questions and solicit feedback on the film.

Yes, I did shake hands with Mel Gibson, and no, I do not usually have such experiences. And yes, I enjoyed it. Meeting Gibson, I mean. The Passion, in contrast, though a remarkable film, is not exactly enjoyable.

The copy we were shown is unfinished, but that isn't what I'm referring to. Gibson explained that editing still needed to be done. Some of the color needed retouching, the sound track was incomplete, and special effects had to be added. This actually made the viewing more enjoyable to me, since it was the first time I viewed a film before the final editing had been done.

Nor when I say it was not exactly enjoyable am I referring to the charge that The Passion is anti-Semitic. It is not.

Nor do I mean that it is not artful. On the contrary, The Passion sets a new standard for depictions of Christ in the arts. Only in the paintings of Ed Knippers have I experienced as powerful an artistic expression of the crucifixion.

The Passion is not exactly enjoyable because it so truthful about the cross.

The film opens with Jesus' arrest in the Garden, after wrestling in prayer over the task his Father has set before him. Like an unblinking eye, the camera forces us to watch, moment by agonizing moment, the torture Christ endured on our behalf. This is not the first flogging I have watched on the scree. The whipping that the character played by Denzel Washinton endured in Glory, for example, remains seared in my memory. But there the camera blinked. We saw a few lashes, and then to our relief the camera panned away. In The Passion the lashing went on, and on, the Roman soldiers wearing themselves out in the effort, and then on some more. LIke we were there.

I have warned more than once in these pages that Christians today tend to sentimentalize the faith. We brush over embarrassing parts of Scripture, and speak of the cost of salvation lightly. Sentimentalizing the gospel is to gut it of its power, its relevance, and its attractiveness. Before the final credits of The Passion rolled I was filled with a deep horror about how I have sentimentalized the cross and what my Savior went through so he could be my elder brother. It was hard to pay attention to the discussion that followed.

Mr Gibson said that his goal in making the film was to help people feel regret. "We don't feel enough regret," he said.

I can't speak for the others in The Art House that afternoon, but this is one reviewer for whom that goal was realized. And though it wasn't exactly enjoyable, I am more grateful than I can possibly express.

------------------

I've completely plagarized Denis' article. If he should read this and complain in an email, I'll take it down; however, I read and had to share it. I will add that Critique is not available by subscription, but you can be added to their mailing list. Donors are adding automatically. To receive Critique, send your mailing address to: Ransom Fellowship, 1150 West Center, Rochester, MN, 55902 Everyone on Ransom's mailing list also receives Notes From Toad Hall, which is Margie Haack's newsletter. I highly recommend both as they both benefit Kristen and I.

You can find more information at: http://www.ransomfellowship.org

Catholic - Orthodox relations

I may one day end up eating my words. I told Wayne Olson that if the Catholics and Orthodox could united together and condemn the theology of the Reformation, I would really have to reconsider my believes.

Apparently, they have come together to agree on filioque. I haven't taken the time to read it, but I did read the news report from Touchtone and the discussion between a Catholic and an Orthodox regarding the statement.

I will come clean and say that I really agree with the Orthodox on this. I really don't know whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son or just the Father. What I do know is that the original creed stated that the Holy Spirit came from the Father. I'm not too sure about the theological consequences of this decision is, but it is interesting nonetheless. However, I do agree with Fr. Reardon that there cannot be reunion between the two unless the Bishop of Rome wishes to acknowledge himself as "First among equals" as opposed to "First Above All, Only Vicar of Christ , et c."

Yet, we will see what becomes.

Does Augustine Advocate PaedoCommunion?

Maybe Tim Gallant has already taken note of this, and I really should read more contemporary reformed writers, but I came across this in my "World of Late Antiquity" reading:

Chapter 26 [XX.]-No One, Except He Be Baptized, Rightly Comes to the Table of the Lord.

Now they take alarm from the statement of the Lord, when He says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God;"82 because in His own explanation of the passage He affirms "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."83 And so they try to ascribe to unbaptized infants, by the merit of their innocence, the gift of salvation and eternal life, but at the same time, owing to their being unbaptized, to exclude them from the kingdom of heaven. But how novel and astonishing is such an assumption, as if there could possibly be salvation and eternal life without heirship with Christ, without the kingdom of heaven! Of course they have their refuge,whither to escape and hide themselves, because the Lord does not say, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot have life, but-"he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." If indeed He had said the other, there could have risen not a moment's doubt. Well, then, let usremove the doubt; let us now listen to the Lord,and not to men's notions and conjectures; let us,I say, hear what the Lord says-not indeed concerning the sacrament of the laver, but concerning the sacrament of His own holy table, to which none but a baptized person has a right to approach: "Except ye eat my flesh and drink my blood, ye shall have no life in you."84 What do we want more? What answer to this can be adduced, unless it be by that obstinacy

Chapter 27.-Infants Must Feed on Christ.

Will, however, any man be so bold as to say that this statement has no relation to infants, and that they can have life in them without partaking of His body and blood-on the ground that He does not say, Except one eat, but "Except ye eat;" as if He were addressing those who were able to hear and to understand, which of course infants cannot do? But he who says this is inattentive; because, unless all are embraced in the statement, that without the body and the blood of the Son of man men cannot have life, it is to no purpose that even the elder age is solicitous of it. For if you attend to themere words, and not to the meaning, of the Lordas He speaks, this passage may very well seemto have been spoken merely, to the people whomHe happened at the moment to be addressing; because He does not say, Except one eat; but Except ye eat. What also becomes of the statement which He makes in the same context on this very point: "The bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world?"85 For, it is according to this statement, that we find that sacrament pertains also to us, who were not in existence at the time the Lord spoke these words; for we cannot possibly say that we do not belong to "the world," for the life of which Christ gave His flesh. Who indeed can doubt that in the term world all persons are indicated who enter the world by being born? For, as He says in another passage, "The children of this world beget and are begotten."86 From all this it follows, that even for the life of infants was His flesh given, which He gave for the life of the world; and that even they will not have life if they eat not the flesh of the Son of man.

From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. V

View from Peniel

I posted too soon. Right after I posted, I noticed that Peter Leithart had some interesting insights into some of the things that I struggle with. While he doesn't deal with the topic exhaustively, it's only a blog post.

They Really Did It

The ECUSA made an unrepentant sinner the bishop over churches which are supposed to call sinners to repentance. What should one do? If I was in his flock, perhaps I would put a mirror in front of him when he preaches, that way he'll be preaching to himself.

If I was a Catholic priest, I'd start a major "bring Anglicans into Roman Catholicism" campaign using somewhat of the following: "We recognized our own sexual sin, we didn't turn away, we're dealing with it, not celebrating it." Something to that extent. Sin is rough, but we must deal with it as a church, come home to Rome. I do know of some who are leaving for Rome, but not I ... not yet.

So, what will I do? I'm not sure. I suppose I'll pray for the unity and purity of the Church, but I'm not too sure. I'm not too sure what I like or dislike about various traditions. I feel home with Rome, but I have issues. I have issues with all the major traditions, and I don't know what to think. Is this simply a tension that the Church must deal with until we are purified in heaven? Tertullian wrote that heresies are our punishment from the Fall, but I don't know that I necessarily consider all the other traditions as heresies. They are Christian, I think. I consider Wayne Olson a brother, just as JT or Daniel Silliman.

It is times like this that I feel really dumb and very small. But perhaps that is what I should feel, maybe that is the feeling the Church lost at different points and how we ended up in this mess. Maybe I should cast a similar vision as Dr. Garver's ecclesiastical vision: serve faithfully in my local church, visit the sick, etc ...

Then again, my sober thoughts could just be inspired by that torturous event last Tuesday known as ... GRE.

Urban Living*

We live in the city. The real city, not some suburb. I can (and have, and do) walk to work. Mike takes the city bus so he can read and cut down on traffic stress (and pollution.) When we want ice cream, we can walk to Dairy Queen. We can also walk to the drugstore and numerous restaurants. It is less than 2.5 miles driving (and much shorter as the crow flies) from our apartment to the Capitol building. When I think about our general "neighborhood," I think about the artsiness and vibrancy. It takes me about 15 minutes to get to the suburbs from here. I have to go there, you know, for those chain stores like Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond. But I'm glad we live right where we do, in one of the 20 largest cities in America.

* This post is brought to you due to insomnia.

Random Notes

We're sorry posting has been light. Our lives are just extremely busy. I'll been working on narrative report cards (meaning, no number grades, just long diatribes about each student) all week. I have to finish them TOMORROW and I only was able to start on Tuesday. I've also been really tired and still having a great deal of trouble staying asleep. I wake up between 1 and 3 fully awake. Mike has been working really hard on school stuff. We've gotten to be really boring. We're not even doing anything for Hallo-Reformation Day. Well, I did throw a party for my students at school.

School Singing

School is going really well. My students are well disciplined, smart and kind. They sing as we walk outside, they sing in the morning, they sing all day. It's amazing how much singing hymns and psalms has gotten down deep into their bones in less than two months. They hum and sing them to themselves while they do seatwork. They clamor to choose their favorites, they even invent playground games centering on the hymns we know. I have already taught them "At the Name of Jesus", "Be Thou My Vision", "Doxology", "Gloria Patri", "How Great Thou Art", "Lift High the Cross", "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty", "Psalm 40" and "Psalm 128." They know all of the tunes and the first verse or two by heart, at least. This experience has confirmed to me that children are quite musical. Only one really struggles with rhythm and pitch. All of the children participate, no one acts "too cool." It's a real blessing to me to sing along with them all day long.

Reporting In

We had a very nice trip to Monroe. Our friend Lori rode with us and we had lots of good car conversation. She came over for dinner last Sunday and between all of that, I feel like I've gotten to know her pretty well and I really like her! In Monroe, we mostly enjoyed hanging out with people like Duane, Sarah, Jon, Emily, Christin, Thomas, Jessie and the Lusks. Norman Shepherd had lots of good things to say about justification, his delivery is just a little too quiet and monotone. I got a good deal of knitting done during the sessions, before I took off and left for lunch. Unfortunately, we were too late for a drive-thru daquari on Friday when we came in. We were lucky to have our trip weekend coincide with Matt and Elizabeth's engagement party, so we were able to see them and say hello and meet people Matt tells lots of stories about, like Brad. That was very fun. I'm looking forward to seeing them get married in December.

Apologies and Announcement

Our apologies for the lack of exciting content. Mike is preparing for a big Latin test tomorrow and the GRE, which he takes next Tuesday. I'm suffering from extreme end of quarter stress. We're heading to Louisiana this weekend for a little change of pace, you can catch us at Auburn Ave on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Call Duane and Sarah for our cell numbers if you are just dying to hang out with us.

On the Subject of Thank You Notes

A couple who is courting came to our wedding and gave us a joint gift. Etiquette says send the thank you card to the woman, but does Reformed-ness say send the card to the man?

Sabbath Dinner

We have people over to eat semi-regularly and we tend to eat nicer dinners on Sundays, but yesterday was the first time we had a good old-fashioned Sabbath dinner, inviting as many people as our table will fit (two, other than us.) One of our guests is a single friend from church, the other guest: the incomparable Wayne O. I took my Sabbath dinner guidelines from the worthy example of Mrs. Holly Rench. We had slow-roasted chicken, wild rice, corn, salad, homemade "challah" bread, and Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla with Fresh Strawberrries that we sugared to make them nice and juicy.

I had a good time preparing the meal. I have never ever made bread before. I just flipped open my copy of the Joy of Cooking and had at it. I have never ever ever wanted a Kitchenaid stand mixer so much in all my life. I kneaded that bread for 10 minutes and I thought I might die. Everything was turning out okay, until I got to the braiding part. I have absolutely no idea how people braid sticky, uncooperative bread dough. I did the best I could. It wasn't very pretty, as far as challah bread goes, but it tasted alright. People got seconds. And they stayed well into the afternoon, chatting with us. It was a success.

Sabbath Reflection

Jesus lives, and so shall I. Death! thy sting is gone forever!
He who deigned for me to die, lives, the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me from the dust: Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and reigns supreme, and, his kingdom still remaining,
I shall also be with him, ever living, ever reigning.
God has promised: be it must: Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and by his grace, vict'ry o'er my passions giving,
I will cleanse my heart and ways, ever to his glory living.
Me he raises from the dust. Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, I know full well nought from him my heart can sever,
Life nor death nor powers of hell, joy nor grief, hence forth forever.
None of all his saints is lost; Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and now is death but the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath when I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense, Jesus is my confidence.

Small Study Break: regarding ekklesia

In his Against Christianity, and I'm sure other places and by other writers, Peter Leithart makes the case that ekklesia, which gets translated as "church" DOES NOT mean "people having been called out" as the bare etymology and many evangelicals seem to make of it lately; but instead, the term is a political term denoting a political body of God's peope.

In support of this, in my readings for my Heresy/Orthodoxy in the Early Church thesis, I discovered that when synods were bringing together their followers, they used the verb: ekklesiazein. Reading this, I put forth that this word still has political connations when the polis of God sets about her duties. Just as the Athenians did, who earlier used the term in describing their legislative bodies.

Okay, back to Arius.

Galations 2:16

For you Greek readers, I have a question regarding this verse. Namely, how should we understand Paul's uses of the genitive? We are reading it in my Pauline Epistles course, and Dr. White is requiring us to read the text literally and determine why modern translations translate as they do. Frankly, I don't know.

Here would be my hyper-literal translation:

Knowing that (hoti) a human is not justified (or, righteous-ified) from works of the law (eks ergOv nomou) except through the faith (faithfulness?) of Jesus Christ (IEsou Christou) and we believe in Christ Jesus (eis Christon IEsoun) so that we may be justified/righteous-ified (dikaiOthOmen) from the faith/faithfulness of Jesus (ek pisteOs Christou) and not from works of the law (eks ergOn nomou), because from works of the law all flesh (pasa sarks) will not be justified/righteous-ified (ou dikaiOthEsetai).

Does this throw anyone for a loop? I have given the most literal reading of the Greek as I have been taught in my four years of Greek at UTexas. Here are some other translations:

NASB: nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

NKJV: knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

NRSV: yet we know that a person is justified F9 not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. F10 And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, F11 and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.

ESV: yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

So, those of you who know Greek and are particular experts in Galations and Justification (you are Reformed, right?), please take a stab. I don't know how to render this, but it may end up being my paper topic for this course.

How Sick

From WorldNetDaily:

Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life-sustaining feeding tube was removed this afternoon in compliance with a judge's order as her husband Michael Schiavo, who demanded the removal, and her mother looked on.
...
Doctors say if there is no further intervention, she will die in 10-14 days.

We don't even give murderers that kind of death sentence. At least if the state is going to consent to her husband killing this woman, let her be murdered in a civil manner, not as a beast. As least when a murderer is executed, the ACLU petitions.

More Chronicles of a Boys' PE Teacher

An impromptu speech, at the end of a game of Dodgeball:

"Guys, you showed a diversity of spirit out on the field today. Some fought hard to win the game, while others hid and ran out of bounds, avoiding the game. It is not manly to run away from a ball. A man would risk being hit to try to catch the ball and get someone else out. Men are daring. Some of you play dodgeball like men. Others of you play dodgeball like girls."

N.B. a great guy was interviewed for the PE position today, so hopefully my tenure will end soon.

Why Blog?

Lately, many in my congregation have been asking Kristen and I this question. During the late summer and early fall, our church was talking to Dr. George Grant about becoming our pastor. Well, he has a blog and this site is linked from there. So, a lot of people from my church have gotten to our blog from Dr. Grant's and then ask, "So, why blog?"

My answer has always been rather truthful and, hopefully, sincere. I imagine that many blog because they like to read their own writing and think that many others would benefit from reading their writing. I don't think that. Well, except if you are a Sooner fan, then I'm deliberately trying to bring you back to the fold of God. Other than that, I post mainy to keep up with family and share ideas with friends. Rick and Rachel live halfway across the country, it's hard to talk to someone regularly when they're in another time zone. It also allows me to secretly implant JT with reformed ideas, without having to debate with him to his face -- he's got one of those "you are so wrong" faces that weakens one's faith in his own argumentation. I'm sure there are other reasons. Kristen likes all the women, and men, who comment leaving practical advice, etc...

However, sometimes I really want to close shop and go home. People who spend most of their bytes on why Arnold is evil because he's not an ueber-conservative, theonomist-how-I-like-to-define-it, Republican. Or, the comments made by Rev. Wilson's kin. I see what they do to others who enjoyed blogging, and it makes me sick.

Oh well, c'est la vie.

School Notes

A few weeks ago, the school suddenly found itself without a PE teacher. As one of the younger faculty members, I was called upon to pick up some slack. One of my new (hopefully, temporary) responsibilities is 1st through 4th grade boys physical education. I am teaching them to play touch football.

One student, Harold*, ran off the field crying. I wandered over to him to find out what was the matter. "Mrs. Stew-w-wart!" he sobbed, "Daniel said I didn't know how to play football so I couldn't be the quarterback!"

"Harry," I said, "You've got to be a man! Stop crying and go out there and show Daniel that you know how to play football!"

Harry ended up making the play of the week, which was really cool, but does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?

* names changed to protect the guilty

Sabbath Reflection

"Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Savior shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age to same;
his holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children's children and for evermore!"

For Rev. Butler: Sooners go Boom! Boom! over Texas, 65-13

Congrats to the Oklahoma Sooners
and coach Bob Stoops. Once again, Coach Stoops proved to be a better coach than Coach Brown, and his troops played without the mistakes which plagued UT. From my seat on the coach, the only thing OU has to worry about this season is UT alums marching on Norman and dragging Stoops to Austin, via Texas Federal Credit Union. Go luck to the Sooners. May they win the conference, may they will the national championship, and may they create their own chants and hand signals without defacing anyone elses.

Speaking of which, I know another entity which cannot create, only steal and pervert, but we won't get into that here.

Yummy Recipe -- West 38th St. Pasta

Ingredients
1 lb. of Italian sausage, casings removed. (all mild or 1/2 hot and 1/2 mild)
1/2 c. butter
12 large mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large green pepper, diced
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
2 t. dried basil
1 lb. fettucine (spinach or regular)
2/3 c. fresh parmesean cheese, grated
1 c. sour cream

Directions
Begin the water for the pasta, and cook that when ready. Simultaneously, cook the sausages in a skillet over medium-high heat, remove sausage and set aside. Drain grease. Add butter to skillet and saute mushrooms, garlic, green pepper, parsley & basel until tender. Stir in sausage. Place pasta in a heated serving dish, add sausage/mushroom mixture, parm. cheese & sour cream. Toss and serve immediately. (Serves 4)

Modifications
I saute things in fat free chicken broth and not butter (unless it is the Sabbath.) It tastes the same, and has a lot less fat. I also use light sour cream.

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Wow. The Strongest Apologetic For Orthodoxy Yet ...

It appears that the Eastern Orthodox Church is very clear in its stance against sexual immorality.

A Russian chapel has been demolished by order of the Orthodox Church because a priest married two men there, the London Telegraph reported Thursday.

The Chapel of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was torn down apparently after local churchmen decided it had been "defiled."

Whoa.

Why UT Must Not Lose ...

I've made a small wager with the good Rev. in which the loser of this weekends, "Red River Shootout" must place the logo of the other team (right-side up? who would ever be so childish as to turn a logo upside-down?) on his page with a grovel.

Ask Dr. Theophilus ...

is a column by Prof. Budziszewski posted on Boundless.org. Searching through his archives, I found a "reader Q/A" column that I found interesting. One questioner claimed that in his reading of scripture he found seven different "paths" to salvation: 1. faith and faith alone 2. faith and works 3. works 4. obeying the commandments 5. faith and baptism 6. calling on the name of the Lord and 7. nothing, you are predestined.

In his response, where he points out that many of the "seven" are redundant, he makes the following point regarding the notion of salvation:

The next step is to see that "salvation" is one of the Bible's umbrella words; it covers more than one meaning. You can be "saved" from disease, "saved" from enemies, "saved" from guilt, and so forth. So instead of asking just one question, "What must I do to be saved?" let's ask two questions: first, "What must I do to be forgiven of sin?" and second, "What must I do to be changed into the holy person God has always intended me to be?" This is important, because the two questions have different answers. It helps to remember that the Bible usually calls forgiveness of sin "justification" and growth in holiness "sanctification."

The clear biblical answer to the question "What must I do to be forgiven of sin?" is "faith alone." You have to put your whole trust in Jesus Christ, who took the guilt of your sin upon himself and suffered its penalty on the Cross. But the clear biblical answer to the question "What must I do to be changed into the holy person God has always intended me to be?" is "faith and works." You still need faith (because everything begins with forgiveness, and because the power to change comes from God alone), but you also need to work like crazy (because you need to cooperate as God changes you).

One more thing: Genuine faith results in works; if you say "I have faith" but do nothing, you're lying. That kind of "faith" is phony faith, and the Bible says clearly that it does nothing for you. Even so, works don't buy forgiveness; the sacrifice of Jesus did that. You can't earn your way into heaven. It has to be a gift. [emphasis in original]

This distinction in salvation I find interesting. I think I need some time to process and think if I agree completely, but I wonder how many times in the past 500 years people have killed each other or, more recently, declared others to be heretics because we haven't defined what we mean by "salvation". It also seems to deal nicely with the emphasis of both faith and works in NT writers.

More towards the practical: if Rome could affirm the above, would the Reformed churches return? would Rome be true to Trent? could we be united? Probably not ... but sometimes I wonder if my post-mil becomes cynical and turns to amil.

A Warm Fuzzy Feeling Down in the Roman Corner of My Heart

I always love it when I hear of Pope John Paul II saying something like this to the Archbishop of Cantebury:

As we give thanks for the progress that has already been made we must also recognize that new and serious difficulties have arisen on the path to unity. These difficulties are not all of a merely disciplinary nature; some extend to essential matters of faith and morals. In light of this, we must reaffirm our obligation to listen attentively and honestly to the voice of Christ as it comes to us through the Gospel and the Church's Apostolic Tradition. Faced with the increasing secularism of today's world, the Church must ensure that the deposit of faith is proclaimed in its integrity and preserved from erroneous and misguided interpretations.

Hmm, I wonder to what was he referring?

JT's move

My best friend, second to my wife, J.T. Longino, has moved onto this server.

Ugg ... blogger

I'm having trouble with blogger. Perhaps it is my server. I'm trying to switch JT over to "thisclassicallife", but I'm doing poorly. The ftp info is exactly the same ... except that they are going to different directories, of course, but it still won't work. Ugg...

WANTED: Homeopathic remedies or good, old-fashioned suggestions

I can't sleep. I can fall asleep, I just can't stay asleep. I've tried Tylenol PM, Benedryl, wine, warm milk, NyQuil, etc. Any other suggestions?

Archives Fixed

I fixed the archives so you can see / add comments and it also shows up in the same style feature. When I get a chance, I'll add the wonderful pic my wife created to the top, which will enable me to bring the old "natural" colour back to the page.

Introspection

This post is not a complaint about being married. I love being married. It is one of the many things that makes it clear to me that God is, indeed, good.

This post is not a complaint about teaching. I love teaching. God has given me gifts that equip me to be a good teacher. The children are teachable, and better still, kind and generous, abounding in love and encouragement.

This post is not a complaint about housekeeping. I love having an apartment. There is a real sense of accomplishment after deep-cleaning something or cooking a good meal. (Aside: like this sausage & mushroom fettuccine in a sour cream sauce I made tonight. I got the recipe from Mrs. Liechty who got it in Moscow from someone. Whoever's recipe that is, tell them we love it!)

Taking all that into consideration, adjusting to my completely new life hasn't really been easy. I always feel like there's something I ought to be doing. I can't relax. I'm just... tense. I've never worked so hard in all of my life. In some ways, that's really good. I know God has called us to be laborers and not just sit around goofing off. But... it's been hard. I don't just miss my friends and family and the fabulous autumn of North Carolina, I miss reading for pleasure. I miss knitting. I miss being a good Sabbatarian. This too, I know, shall pass. I will finally get used to this whole life. And then something else will be hard. There's always something hard. That's how we learn and grow.

Sabbath reflection

Let us love, and sing, and wonder, let us praise the Saviour's name!
He has hushed the law's loud thunder, he has quenched Mount Sinai's flame;
He has washed us with his blood, he has brought us nigh to God.

Let us love the Lord who bought us, pitied us when enemies,
Called us by his grace, and taught us, gave us ears and gave us eyes:
He has washed us with his blood, he presents our souls to God.

Let us sing, though fierce temptation threaten hard to bear us down!
For the Lord, our strong salvation, holds in view the conqueror's crown,
He who washed us with his blood, soon will bring us home to God.

Let us wonder; grace and justice join, and point to mercy's store;
When through grace in Christ our trust is, justice smiles, and asks no more:
He who washed us with his blood, has secured our way to God.

Let us praise, and join the chorus of the saints enthroned on high;
Here they trusted him before us, now their praises fill the sky:
'Thou hast washed us with thy blood; thou art worthy, Lamb of God!'"

What? Auburn Favoured?

Don't get me wrong. I like Auburn. I have many close friends who attended Auburn or cheer them on. However, how is it that Auburn, a team that has only two wins ... against Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky is playing No. 7 Tennessee (4-0), and is FAVOURED!?! by a point or two.

I really don't get it. I hope that they are right, but I don't understand how that works out.

Old English Study

In an attempt to trick my mind into studying on a Friday night, I've determined that reading a little Old English grammar, courtesy of my good friend Michael Busch, will trick my mind into wanting to study. Then, I'll be able to get some greek and latin done later in the night.

Overheard at the Stewart Family Kitchen Table

"Thomas Kinkade paintings are like icons for the evangelical."

At My Wife's Request ...

... I changed the background color to a nice blue. We're trying to find a nice picture to use as a header, but haven't found one yet. Also, I made the necessary changes so that the archives have some color and style. Hope y'all like the changes.

An alternative to the Christian "sub"culture

[Hopefully an occasional series]

I was listening to the radio today. You know the station, there's one where you live, that station that plays the "buzzworthy" music the kids like these days. The music that the labels and the hotshots tell them is cool. So, I was listening and a song came on. The sort of catchy song, you know the ones I mean, where you find yourself singing along and then you step back and think, "Oh lord! What in the world is this trash I am singing about?!" I found myself wanting to cover the ears of a small child. And lacking a small child of my own, I thought about the little Stewarts that will be someday (Lord-willing) and how I never want them to listen to something like that, some song where the musical craftmanship and the lyrical content are such obvious trash.

So I turned the dial to the local Christian station, here in Austin, it only wants to be K-Love, but in other places, it's that national monster. I've always disliked Christian radio. It's so... smaltzy. But in the interest of the little Stewarts that will be someday and their still developing worldviews, I listened as I went about my housework. I listened and I listened and about 45 minutes into the experience, I turned off the radio in despair. "I'm already home sick with a cough and cold," I thought. "No need to add a Christian-radio induced stomach flu."

And so, I sat down on the couch and thought, "There HAS to be a third way." Not another radio station as we know it, a new kind of radio station. The sort of radio station that plays well-crafted music. The kind of radio station where the song lyrics aren't trashy and aren't "positive" but they are real, and reflect a truth about society. The sort of radio station whose "long set of commercial free music" could easily include Over the Rhine, Wilco, David Wilcox, Pedro the Lion, Mark Heard, U2 and Nickel Creek. The technology behind streaming music is coming along. It could really happen, with the backing of, say, a few companies like Paste and a dedicated core group of supporters and volunteers. What do you think, kind readers? Would you listen in?

Long, but good.

GQ's Literary Editor Pantses The Christian Subculture is a worthy read via everyone's favorite hip, Christian music magazine-label-store employee, Jason Killingsworth.

Yeah!

'Nuff said.

The Zen of Barry

According to Jim Caple:

SAN FRANCISCO -- These are the rules.

You don't pitch to Barry when the Giants have men in scoring position. You don't pitch to Barry when either the game or Mars is close.

You don't pitch to Barry after Labor Day. You don't pitch to Barry in months that have an R in them. You don't pitch to Barry for at least an hour after you eat or an hour before you go to communion.

You don't pitch to Barry during Lent, on Yom Kippur, or during Ramadan.

You don't pitch to Barry.

Very aptly put.

Luther, the Movie

We saw Luther last night and we liked it. Anyone else catch it yet?

No More Group

It seemed cool that all our blog posts could be emailed to a listserv, but it didn't work really well. Anyhow, maybe there will be a decent use for it in the future, as for now, there isn't. C'est la vie.

If Rick Can Do It, So Can I

Surely a man who teaches the objectivity of the covenant must be a heretic.

Who Spaketh Thus:

The word gentleman originally meant something recognisable; one who had a coat of arms and some landed property. When you called someone "a gentleman" you were not paying him a compliment, but merely stating a fact. If you said he was not "a gentleman" you were not insulting him, but giving information. There was no contradiction in saying that John was a liar and a gentleman; any more than there now is in saying that James is a fool and an M.A. But then there came a people who said -- so rightly, charitably, spiritually, sensitively, so anything but usefully -- "Ah, but surely the important thing about a gentleman is not the coat of arms and the land, but the behaviour? Surely he is the true gentleman who behaves as a gentleman should? Surely in that sense Edward is far more truly a gentlman than John?" They meant well. To be honourable and courteous and brave is of course a far better thing than to have a coat of arms. but it is not the same thing. Worse still, it is not a thing everyone will agree about. To call a man "a gentleman" in this new, refined sense, becomes, in fact, not a way of giving information about him, but a way of praising him: to deny that he is "a gentleman" becomes simply a way of insulting him. When a word ceases to be a term of description and becomes merely a term of praise, it no longer tells you facts about the object: it only tells you about the speaker's attitude to that object. (A "nice" meal only means a meal the speaker likes.) A gentleman, once it has been spiritualised and refined out of its old coarse, objective sense, means hardly more than a man whom the speaker likes. As a result, gentleman is now a useless word. We had lots of terms of approval already, so it was not needed for that use; on the other hand if anyone (say, in a historical work) wants to use it in its old sense, he cannot do so without explanations. [*] It has been spoiled for that purpose.

Now if once we allow people to start spiritualising and refining, or as they might say "deepening," the sense of the word Christian, it too will speedily become a useless word. In the first place, Christians themselves will never be able to apply it to anyone. It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge. It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense. And obviously a word which we can never apply is not going to be a very useful word. As for the unbelievers, they will no doubt cheerfully use the word in the refined sense. It will become in their mouths simply a term of praise. In calling anyone a Christian they will mean that they think him a good man. But that way of using the word will be no enrichment of the language, for we already have the word good. Meanwhile, the word Christian will have been spoiled for any really useful purpose it might have served.

We must therefore stick to the original, obvious meaning. The name Christians was first given at Antioch (Acts xi. 26) to "the disciples," to those who accepted the teaching of the apostles. There is no question of its being restricted to those who profited by that teaching as much as they should have. There is no question of its being extended to those who in some refined, spiritual, inward fashion were "far closer to the spirit of Christ" than the less satisfactory of the disciples. The point is not a theological, or moral one. It is only a question of using words so that we can all understand what is being said. When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.

To those for whom it is not clear, I do not think this man is/was a heretic, I meant it with a sarcastic tone.

----------------------
* My note: when my Late Antiquity professor refers to whether one was a Christian or not: say, Constantine or Augustine, she refers to their baptism or lack thereof.

More Thoughts on a Tale of Two Subcultures

Obviously, I am not a huge fan of Jerry B. Jenkins. I make fun of the Left Behind books just as much as the next girl. However, Aaron Rench's "interview" with Jenkins in C/A left a bitter taste in my mouth, overall. I take particular exception to his comment about "the Philip Yanceys and the Marvin Olaskys and the John Pipers." This summer, I was forced to read a Philip Yancey book for school, What's So Amazing About Grace? It was, hands down, the best contemporary book I read this summer. (For the record, I read several Canon Press books too.) For the most part, contemporary uber-Reformed books say what I've already heard several times and thought about in depth. I read them going, "Uh-huh. Yeah, brother. Amen." It's only when I take half a step outside of the comfort zone of uber-Reformed books to books from other ages and other traditions that I am challenged to think and apply my faith in new ways.

I'm not about to cancel my subscription to C/A. In fact, I just updated our address so I can get it sooner. However, it's a shame I can't leave it out on my coffee table. I'd hate for my brothers and sisters from other traditions of Christianity to read it and realize just how pompous and vain Reformed Christians can sometimes be. This year, the chapel theme at the school I teach at is "one another" and we've been focusing on loving one another thus far. They will know we are Christians by our love. I think the objectivity of the covenant means we've got to love even those who grate our nerves and perpetuate wrong doctrine. Even those we consider "bad" Christians are Christians nonetheless.